Cutting equipment for plastic sheet material



Oct. 13, 1931. A. c. FISCHER E1' AL- CUTTING EQUIPMENT FOR PLASTIC SHEET MATERIAL Filed oct. 16, 1926 s sheets-sht 1 7, @7725 QT Eisma/f5,

Oct. 13, 1931. A, C, FISCHER ET AL 1,827,193

CUTTING EQUIPMENT FOR PLASTIC SHEET MATERIAL Filed oct. 16, 1926 5 sheets-sheet 2 Iza mm1? Il l,

Oct 13, 1931- A. 3 FlcHER ET 11M.s 1,827,193

CUTTING' EQUIPMENT FOR PLASTIC SHEET MATERIAL Filed oct 16, 1926 s sheets-sheet 5 Patented Oct. 13, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE ALBERT C. FISCHER, BURNS .A STEWART, ANB HENRY W. HERBST, OF CHICAGO,

ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE II-IILIP CAREY MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION O F OHIO CUTTING EQUIPI'IIENT FOR PLASTIC \SIIEET MATERIAL .Application led. October 16, 1926. Serial No. 142,028.

O ur invention relates in general to sheet cutting equipment and has particular \refer ence to cutting plastic sheet material into strips, as for example, the manufacture of preformed expansion joint material.

In manufacturing expansion joint material, at least that kind made from a. composition of bituminous material having fibre incorporated therein, the material after being mixed into a homogeneous mass, and While still warm, is usually transferred to a sheet forming apparatus and rolled into sheets of the desired thickness, the thickness of the sheet varying according tothe dimension of the expansion joint ultimately produced.

After the sheets go thru the sheet forming vapparatus they usually travel on a belt or cut into strips of the' table and are finally desired length and width. This cutting operation according to our invention can be carried out as a continuous step in the sheet forming operation. In other words, the strips may be cut by our apparatus immediately, so to speak, after the material has been formed into a sheet. This is more or less an advantage since the cutting apparatus has an opportunity to perform while the material is'warm and more or less soft com' pared to its condition after it has cooled off. 7e do not mean by this that it is necessary to operate our cutting apparatus at this stage of the operation, as we have provided for conditions Which will enable the lapparatus to be used at'any time after the material has been formed intosheets. For instance, in stead of installing the apparatus in combination with the sheet forming apparatus it may just as well be set up in any convenient location apart therefrom and used for cutting the sheets into strips at any time after this material has been formed into sheets. At this stage, however, the material, of course, will be cold and harder to cut, but we have modified the apparatus for this particular purpose.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the cutting apparatus.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of a portion of the apparatus showing the knife. arrangement.

. the belt -7- is maintained level.

Figure 3 is an end elevation ofthe apparatus. l

Figure 4 is a detailed View in side elevation of the knife arrangement. D

Figure 5 /is a detailed view in plan of a modified form of the knife arrangement.

Figure (5 is a detailed View in side elevation of the knife arrangement shown in Figure 5.

Referring now to the drawingin detail, and particularly with reference to the form of apparat-us shown in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, -5- represents the upright members and the supporting legs of the table, which supports the operating mechanism of the. apparatus, the supports being reinforced by ,a sufficient number of horizontal members 6 so as to make up the proper kind of support for the parts of the apparatus, so that the same may be mounted in operating relation to one another in a suitable and practical manner. The supporting structure briefly referred to as members 5 and 6 may be produced from angle irons or any other structures suits able for the purpose, as is customary in manu facturing equipment of this kind.

In reducing the apparatus to practise the sheet to be cut into strips will be laid on the top of the'endless belt--7 and fed into the apparatus in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure l. The belt travels around an idler drum or roller #8 and around the driven roller -9-. The diameter-of the rollers S- and -9- are substantially the same and they are mounted with their axes of rotation in the same horizontal plane so that A suitable belt tightening device, shown as at -10, may be used for taking up any slack in the belt by moving the idler roller -8- away from the roller -9-, and this tightening device so far as the illustration is concerned comprises a bolt which is threaded in4 a shoulder -1lwhich forms a part of the mounting -12- of the roller -8-, so that by turning u p on the bolt the mounting -12-'' for the roller will be pulled toward the anchored end -13- of the bolt.

lVhen the material is laid upon the belt -7- and the apparatus is in operation` the material will be carried toward the knives (to be hereinafter more particularly referred to) but it will not reach the knives until it has passed under a smoothing roller 14", the same being supported between two arms -l5-, which in turn are pivoted as .at -l6 to a pair oil-uprights -l7-.

For a better description of this smoothing roller, reference is made to Figure a, in which the parts are shown enlarged.

'llhe roller eiltis simply an idler, that is to say, it is not driven by any parts of the mechanism and only rotates under the friction ot the material passing between it and the belt C7- rllhe purpose of this rolleris to act as a so-called hold-down tor the material, so that when it comes in contact with the knife it will not buckle.

'lhe spring inluenced roller lel is to hold the material against the belt so that it will be ted on the cutting table and not retarded by the resistance developed by the cutting knives. ln other words, the knives as they are cutting thru the material will have a tendency to retard the feed of the material, and unless means are provided, such as the roller 14, Jlor holding the material against the belt the material would simply slip on the belt and the feed would be interrupted. The roller 14: would also keep the material from buckling up, which it would likely do in the absence of the roller, due to the resistance made with the knives. llhe tension for the roller *lltis developed by a pair ot springs -l8-, which are mounted to their respective rods -l9-, which in turn are anchored as at -20 to some convenient part of the supporting structure of the apparatus. rlllhe rods pass thru openings in extension -21- from the bearing mountings 22- of the roller. rlFhe springs --18- are seated between the extension 21- and washers -23- at the top of the rods. rlllie ends of the rods are threaded as at Q4-1 so that nuts 25- may be used as means for adj usting the tension of the springs 1S-L, the nuts in this respect contacting with the washers -23 on top of the springs.

lin practice it would be desirable to adjust the roller 14tso that its spaced relation with respect to the belt--T- is about the same as the thicknessotthe material' to be cut, and in this way las the materia-l is fed into the apparatus'the roller -144- will bear down on the same under the induence et the springs -l8.` Caution should be taken, however, so as not to develop 'too much resistance at this point since the cutting resistance must be taken into account, and if the resistance of the roller -lt-f is too severe it would retard the movement ot the mate-A rial thru the apparatus, in fact in cutting rel- -ing table -27-.-

nannies when the knife guides (to be further referred to) act in substantially the same capacity as the roller ld-1. 'lhe relative position of the roller 1tin both Figures l and t show the same in an inactive position.

rllhe position ot the roller, as explained, may be adjusted by turning up on the lnut -25- and the rod '-19- and when relatively hardor rigid material is to be cut and the roller is not required the nut may simply be run up on the rod and the loosened tension ot the spring Hi8- will enable the roller to move up, with the result that it does not contact with the material at all.

llhe material after leaving the belt -7-, and without interruption to this movement,

`passes upon a table -26, which bridges the space between the belt .land the receivrllhis table w26- is movable, Aso to speak, in that it forms a dat top tor a structure which is hinged as at -28-1 'llhe opposite end of the table or structure is not connected to the receiving table 427-, so that it may be swung upward on the pivots -28- and out ot cooperative relationship with the knives -29. 'll`he table top -26- is made with a multiplicity of spaced parallel slots -30, each ot which is of a dimension to receive the knife, such as -29, so

Vthat while the axis oil the knives are in a plane below that ot the table their cutting edges project above the table so as to o s erate on the material in passing over tile material. For each knife will be provided guide rollers -3l-, the same being mounted withgtreedonaV olrotation by means of a shaft B2- which is ,journalled in the bearings -3$, the' bearings in this respect being mounted on cross bars 34- formin a part of the supporting structure for the ta le 'llhe guide rollers are-made with a circumterential slot to receive the knives, and their structure also provides a scraping device for the knives, which is an advantage since the material to be cutis of a moreor less adhesive consistency. rll`he guide rollers also serve to hold `the material down and against the knives, dile td the fact that the lmaterial must pass under the guide rollers in the cutting operation.

rllhe knives are mounted'v on a common shaft 35-, and the arrangement shown works out to a decided advantage since the knives may be longitudinally adjusted on the shaft, and arranged in most any adjusted spaced relation to one another, so that the width of the strips to be cut maybe predetermined. linother words, it a 4 inch strip is to be cut from the sheet the knives will be spaced 4in-ches apart and the slots 30- in the table top -26- are numerous enough to permit this adjustment of the knives. in v tact it would even be possible to cut an inch strip. 'lo do so the slots -30- would be l inch apart and one knife would be adj usted to lit one slot and another knife adjusted to fit an adjacent slot. It is of course understood that the guide rollers l-31- are likewise adjusted to register with the knives, and lfor this reason they are likewise slidably mounted on the shaft -32-. The knives may be advantageously secured by some such means, as collar 67, which is keyed to shaft 35 by a pin 68 and clamped thereon by a nut 69.

The spaced relation between the rollers- --3l and the surface of the table top Q6-- may be adjusted b elevating or lowering the rollers. This is o course necessary in order that sheets of different thicknesses may'be cut. To make this adjustment the supporting structure for the rollers 31", whlchI includes the shaft H32-, and the bearings 3g-1 as well as the supports -34-, may

be adjusted with respect to the uprights -36-, one of which being the member -17- to which the arm -15- of the roller -14 is pivoted. To make this adjustment a plurality of openings -37- are provided in the uprights -36- and a suspending device -38- on the support S4- 1s so constructed thatv it may selectively engage any one of the vopenings -37, for instance, a lower opening or a higher opening. As shown in Figure 4 intermediate openings -87 are engaged thereby. To elevate the rollers -31- and accommodate a greater thickness of material the next higher one of thepopenings -37- would be engaged, or to compensate for a lesser thickness of the material one of the lower openings would be engaged. To change the spaced relation of the knives V-29 on the shaft -35- the entire top table -26-, together with its supporting structure, could be swung up about the pivot ,-28-, leaving unobstructed access tothe knives. They may then be adjusted 4longitudirrally on the 'shaft -35- Without diiculty, and longitudinal adjustment of the rollers -31- may be accomplished without swin `ng the table up from its normal active position. The knives and the endless belt -7- are the only parts of the a paratus to which a drive is'imparted, that is to say, a power drive. To accomplish this drive an electrical motor -39- is supported on the horizontalmembers of the supporting structure for the apparatus, and a belt or other suitable driving means connects the motor with a relatively large driven pulley or the like v-40-, which is co-axially mounted on the shaft -35- for the knives, and which in turn, `aside from rotating the knives, also imparts a drive to a similar pulley or the like 4lthru means of a belt, chain or the like -42-, which is driven from the relatively small pulley -43-. The pulley 4l-s mounted on the shaft 44`, and this shaft is equipped with a relativel,` small driving pulley -45, which drives t e pulley -46- by a. crossed' belt or the like -471-. Mounted on the shaft 4S- of the pulley -46- is a tooth-pinion '-49-, which meshes with a relatively large gear wheel -50 and drives the saine. This relatively large gear wheel -'50- is co-axially mounted on the shaft- -glof the driving drum -9- of the belt From the above it can be seen that the electric motor drivesthe knives, and the power is then imparted to the belt "f'- thru the medium of the connected driveny and driving pulleys 41%, -46- and the gears 49- and -50-, the last fmentioned gear being coaxially-mounted with the drum -9- on the shaft -51-. v

Referring to Figures 5 and 6 which show a slightly modified form of the apparatus the table top 26- is shown as being made in two separate parts -26B and -26b, each part being suitably pivoted for instancevas at -52-, so that the may be swung up about these pivots to ena le access to be had to the knives 29E- These knives like the knives 31- are slidably mounted on a shaft -35a and the guide rollers 31?- for the knives are likewise slidablymounted on a shaft -32a-, vThe slots for the knives in this form of the apparatus are shown as at 30"- and the same commence at the inner edge of the table top -26a-, so that the slot in one section of the table top -cooperates with the4 slot in the opposite section of the table top to receive a knife. The adjustment foi' the guide rollers 31a is somewhat different than inl the first described form of the apparatus, iri that while openings -37aare provided in an upright -36- for raising and lowering the rollers are further provided with a spring tension device comprising springs 3- which are mounted on rods 54--. One end of the spring presses the horizontal part -55 on the mountings for the rollers -31- and each opposite end spring 53- comprises an adjacent locking device, cornprising the nut 56. The same principle being involved here as with respect to the spring tension device for the roller -14-.

' To control the material as it is fed into the apparatus, that is to say, when it is Warm and more or lessplastic, an introductory roller -56- is supported by the arm -57-. This arm is fulcrumed to the post -58- and extension -59- and the same engages a short rod 60- The rod T60- is equipped with a spring tension device -61 with a nut -62- for adjusting the tension of the spring.

In this form instead of using o ne belt a pair of belts are used, both of which are suitably driven in any desired manner, the belts being shown as at -63 and --64-, with rollers -65 and 66- used for driving the same. The shaft -35 for the knives is driven inthe same manner as is described With reference to the other fig ures. 4

lt is to be noted that in the forms shown in Figures 5 and 6 the guide rollers for the knives -Q9afare in back of the knives, whereas in the other form of the apparatus the guide rollers for the knives are in front. For the most part. the form shown in Figures 5 and 6 is for cutting strips from sheets that are warm, consequently the same precautions against buckling need not be accounted for, particularly When the roller -56 may be relied on for this purpose.

While the rollers -31- and -31 have been generally referred to as guides for the knives, an equally important function which they perform is bearing down on the material astride the cut made by the knives so as to insure smooth cut edges. rllhen again they act as Scrapers for the knives which helps to keep them clean.

'lhe high speed of the knives cutting into the plastic material keeps the knives so hot that the material is melted to such a consistency that itlwill not adhere to the knives to such an extent that it will clog them.

1. lit an apparatus for cutting strips from sheets, a rotary shaft, a plurality of knives adjustably mounted on said shaft to slide longitudinally therealong into spaced relation to determine the Width of the strip to be cut but to be rotated therewith in all positions of adjustment, and means comprising a slotted member through Which said knives project for maintaining the knives in spaced relation.

2. lin an apparatus of the class described, a plurality of rotatable knives, a rotating shaft on which said knives are mounted in spaced relation, said knives being slidable longitudinally on the shaft for changing their spaced relation to determine the width of the cut made thereby, a table, below which said rotating shaft is mounted, having slots thru which the knives project, guides for said knives mounted above said table, and means for elevating and lowering the guides With respect to the table, said guide being mounted in adjustably spaced relation to register the same with the changeable position of the knives.

3. lin a cutting apparatus of the class described, a table upon which the material to be out is fed, a belt for feeding the material upon said table, means for holding the material on the belt under tension` said table having a plurality of parallel slots therein, knives projecting through said slots` knife guides mounted above the table and register'- ing with the knives, and means for elevating or lowering the guides with respect to the table for accommodating materials of various thicknesses.

t.' ln a cutting apparatus of the class de- Laar/,ies

scribed, a table upon which the material to be cut is fed, a belt for feeding the material upon said table, means for holding the material on the belt under tension, said table having a plurality of slots therein, rotary knivesprojecting thru said slots, and means mounted above the table adapted to hold the material to be cut flat upon the table and cooperate With the knives to cut the material into strips.

5. ln a cutting apparatus of the class described, a table upon which the material to be cut is fed, a belt for feeding the material upon said table, means for holding the material on the belt under tension, said table having a plurality of slots therein, rotary knives projecting thru said slots, and means mounted above the table adapted to hold the material to be cut flat upon the table and co-operate with the knives to cut the material into strips, said means being adjustable with respect to the table to accommodate the apparatus to materials of different thicknesses.

6. ln a cutting apparatus of the class described, a table upon which the material to be cut is fed, a belt for feeding the material upon said table, means for `olding the material on the belt under tensio rotary knives mounted below the table but projecting above the same to intercept the material and cut it into strips, and means mounted in eo-operative relationship with the knives for straddling the cuts made by the same and holding the material upon the table.

7. lln a cutting apparatus of the class described, a table upon lwhich the material to be cut is fed, rotary knives mounted below the table but projecting above the same to intercept the material and cut it into strips, and means mounted in co-operative relationship with the knives for straddling the cuts made by the same and holding the material upon the table, said means comprising rollers mounted with freedom of rotation, and grooves in said rollers in which the knives rotate.A 1

8. ln a cutting apparatus of the class described, a cutting table upon which the material to be cut is fed, rotary knives mounted in spaced relation for cutting the material into strips as it is fed across the table, and means for holding the material upon the table surface during the cutting operation, comprising grooved rollers mounted with freedom of rotation and in spaced relation to the table to accommodate the thickness lof the material` the grooves in said rollers being in alignment with the knives and straddling the ruts in the material made by the knives.

9. ln a cutting apparatus ofthe class described. a cutting table upon which the ma terial to be cut is fed, rotary knives mounted in spared relation for cutting the material into strips as it is fed across the table, means Leganes .for holding the material upon the table surface during the cutting operation, com rising grooved rollers mounted with free om of the material made by the knives, and means for elevating or lowering the position of the rollers with respect to the table.`

10. In a -cutting apparatus of the class described, a cutting table upon which the material to be cut is fed, rotary knives mounted in spaced relation for cutting the material into strips as it is fed across the table, means for holding the material upon the table surface during the cutting operation, comprising grooved rollers mounted with freedom .of rotation and in spaced relation to the fili table to accommodate the thickness of the material, the grooves in said rollers-being in alignment with the knives and straddling the cuts in the material made by the knives, the spaced relation ofthe knives with'respect to one another being changeable for changing the width'of the cuts made thereby, the position of the rollers being adjustable to corre-i spond with the position ofthe knives, and means for elevating or lowering the rollers with respect to the table.

11. In a cutting apparatus of the class described, a cutting table upon which the material to be cut is fed, rotary knives mounted in adjustably spaced relation forcutting the xr. material into strips as it is fed across the table, means for holding the material upon the table surface during the cutting operation, comprising grooved rollers slidable axially and rotatably mounted, upon a shaft, and means for elevating and lowering the rollers with respect to the table to accommodate the thickness of the material, the grooves in said rollers being in alignment with the knives and straddling the cuts in the material made by the knives.

is made witht a plurality of spacedl parallel slots thru which the said knives rotate.

14. In a' cutting apparatus ofthe class described, a plurality of axially adjustable 7`0 knives arranged in horizontal alignment, a cutting table having spaced slots through which the knives are selectively projected upwardly in cutting position, means for feeding the material to be cut to said cutters comprising a belt( upon which the material is supported, and means for urging the material against the belt to prevent slippage in feed- 111g.

15. In a cutting apparatus of the class described, va plurality of axially adjustable knives arranged in horizontal alignment, a cutting table having spaced slots through which the knives are selectively projected upwardly in cutting position, means for feeding the material to be cut to said cutters comprising a belt upon which the material is supported, and means for urging the material against the belt to prevent slippage in feeding'comprising a roller and a spring for pressing the roller upon the material.

16. In a cutting apparatus of the class described, a plurality of axially adjustable knivesV arranged in horizontal alignment, acutting table having spaced slots through which the knives are selectively projected upwardly in cutting position, means for feed ing the material to be cut to said cutters comprising a belt upon which` the material is supported, means for urging the material against the belt to prevent slippage iny feeding comprising a roller, a spring for pressing the rolls upon the material, and means for regulating the tension of said spring.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 11th day of October 1926.

ALBERT C. FISCHER.

BURNS A. STEWART.

HENRY W. HERBST.

12. In a cutting apparatus of the class dey scribed, a cutting table upon which the material to be cutis fed, rotary knives mounted in adj ustably spaced relation for cutting the material into strips as it is fed across the table, meansfor holding the material upon the table surface during the cutting operation, comprising rooved rollers slidable axially and rotatab y mounted upon a shaft, and means for elevating and lowering the rollers with respect to the-table to accommodate the thickness of the material, the

grooves in said rollers being in alignment with the knivesl and straddling the cuts in the material made by the knives, and the means for elevating or lowering the rollers comprising an adjustable support for the shaft on which they'are mounted. f

13. A cutting apparatus as *set forth in claim 12, land in which the .cutting table 

